Page 3 of Daddy's Game

His sensual lips twisted into a wry grin, framed by a neatly trimmed mustache and beard. I liked the fact his beard was more than a chin strap that looked painted on. His head and facial hair were midnight black, though a few strands of silver had worked in here and there. Character lines on his face and near his eyes suggested he was north of forty, though still possessed of a vitality to rival men half his age.

I had never particularly been attracted to older men before, though there were some I thought to be handsome. This was the first older man I’d seen who wasn’t just good looking—he was downright sexy. Maybe it was his poise and confidence, or the fact he remained in killer shape, but I found myself wanting to climb that particular tree on first sight.

His three-piece suit had been expertly tailored to show off his physique. The muted reddish brown color worked for him, too. A splash of light green from his necktie helped to bring the whole look together.

“Good morning,” he said in a voice deep as the ocean. “My name is Brock Richards. And as to what I want—that’s pretty simple.”

He looked up and around at the lobby, but I knew he was assessing the entire building, including parts unseen.

“I’m going to buy this center.”

Say what?

2

BROCK

The fetching blue eyed woman in front of me was certainly enticing, but I had come to the center with a purpose. Business first; everything else was just a distraction. I was always chasing down the next opportunity, just like my father had taught me.

As I watched the scowl mar the woman’s pretty features, I wondered if I’d made a mistake in being so open about my intentions. I saw the walls come down between us. Any chance I’d have had to charm her had just gone out the window.

She’s too young for you anyway, Brock,I thought to myself. It was true enough. Her skin held no flaw or sign of age, and her eyes had that bright, shining quality of youth and vitality. I pegged her as being in her mid-twenties, maybe even slightly younger.

A thick, lustrous mane of shining saffron hair hung down to her shoulders. I visualized what it would be like to run my fingers through her silken soft hair as her eyebrows climbed up under her bangs.

“What did you just say?”

Her terse tone and stiff posture told me she had, in fact, heard me perfectly well. She just wanted to see if I had the audacity to repeat it. Too bad she didn’t know audacity was my middle name.

“I said, I’m going to buy this building from you, and the lot it’s built on.” I chuckled softly. “Well, that’s not quite what I said, I’m paraphrasing but you get the gist. So why don’t you show me to your office, sweetheart, and we can start talking numbers?”

She crossed her arms over her chest and glared daggers at me.

“Sweetheart?” her voice dripped venom.

“Babe?” I said, knowing full well I stirred the shit pot. “Honey? Darling?”

Every new pet name only served to make her eyes more narrow and dangerous, until I was faced with azure slits brimming with rage.

“AH, I’ve got it now,” I said, pointing at her. “Princess!”

“The last person who called me Princess was a sloppy drunk frat boy at a tiki bar in Miami. It didn’t work for him, either.”

I had expected she would take offense, but surprisingly I found myself wanting to make amends. It wasn’t just that she was damn pretty, either. I found my respect growing for her, since she was willing to stand up to me. Not many people did that, even if they didn’t know my reputation.

“All right,” I said in a more normal, less mocking tone. “Then what should I call you?”

“You can call me the woman who’s showing you the door,” she said, gesturing at the exit. “I’d like you to leave now, please.”

Okay, so her reception was even chillier than I had thought. I’d heard rumors about the performing arts center, located on a sweet corner lot just a stone’s throw from Central Park. I’d heard that the director was a feisty curmudgeon who refused to sell, no matter how generous the offer.

Yet, I’d believed I might succeed where so many others had failed. Ambition and confidence had made me a very wealthy man, wealthy beyond my wildest dreams.

My father may have been the one to start a million dollar corporation, but I was the one who had grown it into a billion dollar business empire. And I owed it to both myself and my father’s memory to maintain that legacy.

I wasn’t about to just leave without putting up a strong fight. Especially since I was having so much fun.

“But you haven’t even heard my offer yet,” I said.

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